Owl

In the past I have taken photos of a captive owls ranging from barn owls to long eared owls.  However, I had never seen a true wild owl.  Mid July a number of shots appeared of owls in the Phoenix Park, and interest in going there was sparked among my friends.  I was invited to join them on the 16th and 18th of July.  

Owls are nocturnal so when you set out on a photo trip you generally don't have high hopes of a shot because it is so challenging to get good photos from dusk onwards.  It was really just a trip to experience a rarely seen bird in a natural setting.  On that first night it was magical to hear the first screeches from the birds and the anticipation of seeing the bird grow within you. The area where the owl was calling from was in dense trees and all the photographers present (there were a few) knew it was beyond the capabilities of their equipment.  We observed the sights and sounds before departing.  With only two of us left I suggested walking to where we originally where before heading to the vehicle.  As we walked we heard the screeching calls of more owls.  And, as luck would have it, despite it being a lot later in the evening, I was able to take a shot at the owl was in a less dense area close to us.  

This shot was taken with a shutter of 1/30 sec., not a setting normally considered in wildlife photography with a heavy 100-400mm lens, the aperture was wide open at  f5.6 and auto ISO was 16,000.  It is not a brilliant shot, but one I was delighted with considering the conditions.